D&D 5E Further Future D&D Product Speculation

[Parmandur]

So, it's been several days since we got the fresh dopamine rush of new D&D product announcements, so clearly it's time to begin the cycle of speculation up again!

I've been mulling over some future possibilities, and then I saw this nugget:

"According to Winninger, the D&D Team is “particularly excited for [the slipcase] format,” and that we were “likely going to see several things in that format” in the coming years."

D&D: Spelljammer Is Just The Beginning

The head of 'Dungeons & Dragons' revealed that more 'slipcase products' are in the works. Here's what we know about the Spelljammer slipcase.

www.belloflostsouls.net

In addition to this, Winninger said on Twitter that if the battle game "Warriors of Krynn" is successful, they will look at bringing it to other Settings and expanding it.

We know that there is a classic Setting product coming in 2023, a "revisit" to a Classic Setting already covered in 5E for the 50th Anniversaryin 2024 alongside the rules revision, and two brand new Settings thst are not Magic related in development (we also know that the latter are not the Radiant Citadel, because Winninger said so).

In terms of Settings that might be coming in 2023, I think it is safe to eliminate any licensed Setting from the games history, such as Lankhmar, Rokugan, or Hyperborea. It qlso seems reasonable at this point to not expect microsettings, like Ghoatwalk, Jakandor, Nentir Vale, or Council of Worms (but they might have a future with this slipcase model!).

With those caveats, it seems to me that there four viable candidates for the 2023 Classic Setting product: Birthright, Dark Sun, Mystarra, and Planescape.

The candidates for the classic "revisit" would seem to be the Eberron, the Forgotten Realms, and Greyhawk (because Ghoats of Saltmarsh counts as a visit).

Given the excitement from the D&D studio for the slipcase model and the battle game model, I would also see these as falling into two groups: "Slipcase Settings:, and "Battle Game Settings".

Slipcase Settings

it seems to me that Planescape and Greyhawk would be good candidates for slipcase products similar to the Spelljammer set.

Planescape could provide a Planar & Sigil Gazateer, a Planar Monster book, and a tour of the Planes Adventure book, with a poster map of Sigil and the Outlands plus DM screen with Planar info. This could cover most of the basis of the original box set, and plug into most DMs games.

Greyhawk seems like it would also fit this format well for a r: a Gazateer covering more than the original Folio, a book of old school weird Gygaxian Monsters, and Ruins of Castle Greyhawk as an adventure. This seems like it would be perfect as a 50th Anniversary product.

For a revisit, a slipcase set in Ebwrron for Xen'drick might be fun as a dark horse.

Battle System Settings

Dark Sun was initially conceived as a showpiece for the AD&D Battle System war game for mass combat scenarios, with the development codename "Battle World." An Adventure pitting the PCs against the Sorcerer Kings, with an attendant Battle Game tie in seems entirely fitting.

Similarly, Birthright is intimately tied to domain management and large-scale warfare. A book combining Scion PCs ruling domains with a Battle Game tie in would seem appropriate.

Mystarra also has ties to Mass Combat systems, through the War Engine of the Companion Set. This might make Mystarra a solid dark horse candidate.

Anyways, interesting to see what WotC does with these new models moving forward.

 

[darjr]

I think, but do not know, it’s Greyhawk.

Battle box goes great with it, especially an expansion.
It’s been visited before in Saltmarsh.
It’s an important date.
Luke Gygax would be a fantastic partner.
GaryCon would be an amazing venue to show it off and have a D&D Direct like thing.

 

[overgeeked]

With those caveats, it seems to me that there four viable candidates for the 2023 Classic Setting product: Birthright, Dark Sun, Mystarra, and Planescape.

Of those, only Dark Sun and Planescape rated in their settings survey from the early days of 5E. As much as I’d love Mystara to come back, it’s either Athas or Sigil.

If they’re really wanting to push the mass combat line, Dark Sun and Birthright are the obvious choices. But of those, Dark Sun is wildly more popular.

 

[pukunui]

Don’t forget the setting “cameo”. Spelljammer or Planescape make the most sense for that.

 

[Parmandur]

I think, but do not know, it’s Greyhawk.

Battle box goes great with it, especially an expansion.
It’s been visited before in Saltmarsh.
It’s an important date.
Luke Gygax would be a fantastic partner.
GaryCon would be an amazing venue to show it off and have a D&D Direct like thing.

That's what my gut says, too. Heck, they could do a slipcase like Spelljammer that also ties into a Battle Game, and it would fit Greyhawk. Luke Gygax being involved would be awesome. It really seems to fit yhe new formats better than the Forgotten Realms.

 

[Parmandur]

Of those, only Dark Sun and Planescape rated in their settings survey from the early days of 5E. As much as I’d love Mystara to come back, it’s either Athas or Sigil.

If they’re really wanting to push the mass combat line, Dark Sun and Birthright are the obvious choices. But of those, Dark Sun is wildly more popular.

Yeah, I hadn't gotten to fully weighing probabilities in my meanderings, but I'd rate Planescape as the most probable for the 2023 Setting, with a slipcase format: that would also fit with how confident Winninger is about future slipcase, if they are already planning it for Planescape.

If the Battle Game hits it off, I think Dark Sun is the next move. But given a few years, even. Irthright and Mystarra might make an appearance, and a Council of Worms or Jakandor Slipcase might make sense eventually. There are no hard limits.

 

[overgeeked]

Don’t forget the setting “cameo”. Spelljammer or Planescape make the most sense for that.

We might have already seen it. The Nightmare Beast in the free MC is from Dark Sun. That could be the cameo. I hope not. But maybe.

 

[Parmandur]

Don’t forget the setting “cameo”. Spelljammer or Planescape make the most sense for that.

My guess is that a random Setting shows up as a "Planet of the Week" in the Sprlljammer Adventure. Like, Jakandor level random, maybe.

 

[JEB]

@Parmandur:

I formerly thought Dark Sun was going to be the remaining classic setting choice, but I think Planescape is the most likely now. More groundwork has been laid for Planescape, and it continues their emphasis on the multiverse, and it's a more natural fit for post-Tasha 5E's assumptions. Dark Sun, by contrast, would require a fair number of adjustments from core assumptions (defiling magic, psionics, intentional distance from classic D&D tropes, etc.), and reworking the setting to eliminate those risks losing a lot of its flavor (and annoying the setting's veteran fans). The only counterpoint I can think of is the wargame tie-in, but that stopped being a marketing angle for Dark Sun by the time of its 2E revision.

The "revisit" is almost certainly the Forgotten Realms, just in time to tie in with the 2024 revision. It seems widely agreed that SCAG was lacking as a setting book, unlike Eberron. This "revisit" also gives them a chance to make further setting adjustments, to match post-Tasha's shifts.

Both Planescape and the Realms will surely get the slipcase treatment, as you suggest, unless Spelljammer is a total bomb sales-wise.

As for the other settings you mentioned:

• Greyhawk would be a good setting choice for the 50th anniversary, but either way of handling it poses risks. Make it authentic to the old-school version, and you risk offending newer gamers; revise the setting for newer gamers, and you risk offending old-school fans. What I think we could see instead is something like the Dragonlance adventure - a Castle Greyhawk adventure, as you suggest, with minimal attention to the setting proper. (This is also how the well-regarded Ghosts of Saltmarsh worked for the most part, just define a small section of the setting as an adventure backdrop.)
• Birthright is too obscure to make a comeback in any form. (Sorry, fans, nothing wrong with the setting but I'm just being frank.)
• Mystara could be interesting as the focus for an adventure/mini-setting like Dragonlance, but the most recent thing it's known for now is those re-releases of the Capcom video games from years ago. Not to mention that Wizards would probably prefer folks not dig too much into some of its setting lore.

 

[overgeeked]

Yeah, I hadn't gotten to fully weighing probabilities in my meanderings, but I'd rate Planescape as the most probable for the 2023 Setting, with a slipcase format: that would also fit with how confident Winninger is about future slipcase, if they are already planning it for Planescape.

At a guess the cliffhanger adventure for Planescape will be Tales from the Infinite Staircase, or similar. Though I really hope whatever other settings get the slipcase treatment don't also have to deal with the reduced page count.

If the Battle Game hits it off, I think Dark Sun is the next move. But given a few years, even. Irthright and Mystara might make an appearance, and a Council of Worms or Jakandor Slipcase might make sense eventually.

Maybe. Who knows? Outside of the D&D folks, that is.

There are no hard limits.

Well, no...but we can make educated guesses. The likelihood of getting a Birthright setting book is likely much lower than getting a Dark Sun or Planescape book. Or at least if it's going to happen they're going to work through most or all of the more popular settings first.